CN104984473B - Automatic body protection system for dangerous work positions based on wearable muscle electrical stimulation - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic body protection system for dangerous positions based on wearable muscle electrical stimulation, which includes a safety light curtain device, a device start trigger signal module and a wearable muscle electric stimulator; the safety light curtain device and the device start trigger The signal modules are respectively wirelessly connected to the wearable muscle electric stimulator; wherein: the safety light curtain device is used to provide a signal a for the human body to enter the dangerous area of the work station; the device start trigger signal module is used to provide a signal b for the device action; After receiving the signal a and the signal b, the wearable muscle electric stimulator causes the muscles to contract by electric stimulation. The invention has the advantages of quick action, good protection effect, convenient installation and wearing, and will not interfere with the user's action or limit its range of activities during use.

Description

Automatic body protection system for dangerous work positions based on wearable muscle electrical stimulation

technical field

The invention relates to the technical field of mechanical processing, in particular to an automatic body protection system for dangerous positions based on wearable muscle electrical stimulation, which uses wearable muscle electrical stimulation technology to realize automatic body protection for dangerous positions, and is suitable for Punches, shears, lathes, injection molding machines and other large dangerous mechanical equipment that require manual loading and unloading.

Background technique

The punches, shears, lathes, injection molding machines and other equipment used in factories often cause accidents that injure operators. At present, the protection mechanism of these large machinery is usually from the perspective of the machinery itself. When a danger is detected, the machine will be stopped quickly. Its defect is that the operator may trigger the shutdown signal by mistake, so some enterprises shut down such machinery in order to pursue production efficiency. Protection system to reduce thermal shutdown; and these protection systems may fail and cause accidents; at the same time, the high-speed inertia of the punch may lead to unsatisfactory braking effects and cause accidents. There are also physical protective measures such as protective covers, but they are often abandoned by operators due to troublesome operations. There is also a system that sends out an alarm through sound and light, but the neural flow of visual and auditory stimulation is: sound/light signal -> eye/ear -> nerve input -> brain processing decision -> nerve output -> muscle contraction -> limb Actions, the entire process requires the intervention of the operator's central nervous system, which is completed by the operator independently, and it takes about 2 seconds, which cannot achieve immediate and effective protection.

It is found through document retrieval that the Chinese patent publication number is CN201052543, the patent title is: Punching machine hand safety protection device, and the application date is December 5, 2006. The device provides a manual safety protection mechanism for the press, and when danger is detected, the clutch of the press cannot be opened or emergency braking is implemented. This device has some disadvantages:

1. The high-speed inertia of large machinery may lead to unsatisfactory braking effect and lead to accidents;

2. Mis-triggered shutdown signals will reduce production efficiency, causing some companies with loose management to abandon the use of this protection mechanism;

3. The protective device needs regular maintenance, but failure may still cause serious consequences.

Contents of the invention

The present invention aims at the shortcomings of punching machines, shearing machines, lathes, injection molding machines and other large-scale dangerous mechanical equipment that require manual loading and unloading in the existing manufacturing industry, which are prone to failure and cause serious consequences. The automatic body protection system of the station uses electric stimulation muscle technology to automatically realize the protection action of the human body to avoid danger. The present invention does not require the operator's independent participation, and realizes immediate and passive body protection completely under the action of external electrical stimulation; the whole system can be realized through the combination of various parts according to the actual working conditions on site.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions.

An automatic body protection system for dangerous positions based on wearable muscle electrical stimulation, including a safety light curtain device, a device start trigger signal module, and a wearable muscle electric stimulator; the safety light curtain device and the device start trigger signal module are respectively connected with A wearable electrical muscle stimulator wirelessly connected; wherein:

The safety light curtain device is used to provide a trigger signal for the human body to enter the dangerous area of the workstation;

The device start trigger signal module is used to provide an action signal for device start;

After receiving the trigger signal and the action signal, the wearable muscle electric stimulator causes the muscle to produce a contraction action through electrical stimulation.

Preferably, the wearable electrical muscle stimulator includes a carrier, a control box and surface electrodes; the control box and the surface electrodes are all installed on the carrier; wherein:

The carrier is used to be worn on the user's arm and adapted to the arm;

The control box includes a wireless module and a controller. The wireless module sends the trigger signal and the action signal to the controller after receiving the trigger signal. The controller processes the trigger signal and the action signal in real time, and controls the surface electrodes to be energized and powered on in real time based on the processing results. Stimulate the arm muscles to complete the contraction.

Preferably, the electrical stimulation uses low-frequency pulse current to stimulate one or more groups of muscles through a preset program to induce muscle movement; the preset program is: to imitate the contraction process of the muscles in the process of hand retraction, Then control the surface electrodes attached to the relevant skeletal muscles to generate electric current to stimulate the muscles to contract.

Preferably, the preset program is specifically:

- When faced with a simple work position, the biceps brachii is stimulated with electric pulses, and the muscle contraction makes the elbow joint bend quickly, driving the forearm and hand to quickly approach the body, forming a protective action away from the equipment;

- When faced with a complex work position, for multiple muscles, each muscle is electrically stimulated according to a fixed time sequence. The muscle contraction makes the joint bend quickly, driving the forearm and hand to quickly approach the body, forming a protective action away from the equipment.

Preferably, the electric pulse is a bidirectional square wave, and the parameter values of the electric pulse are set as follows: a pulse width of 300 microseconds, a frequency of 40 Hz, and an amplitude setting range of 20 mA to 60 mA.

Preferably, the wearable electrical muscle stimulator also includes any one or more of the following components disposed on the carrier:

- an indicator light, which is used to display the working status of the wearable electrical muscle stimulator;

- buttons, the buttons are used for the user to control the display wearable electrical muscle stimulator.

Preferably, the carrier is worn on the upper limb of the user's arm.

Preferably, the safety light curtain device includes: a light projector, a light receiver and a wireless communication module; wherein, the light projector and the light receiver are installed in pairs, and the infrared beam emitted by the light projector is received by the light receiver to form an optical path; when there is an object When appearing on the light path, the light receiver sends a trigger signal through the control circuit, and the trigger signal is transmitted to the wearable muscle electric stimulator through the wireless communication module.

Working principle of the present invention is:

A safety light curtain device is installed on the workbench of the equipment. The light emitter emits a modulated infrared beam and the light receiver receives it, thus forming a protective net (optical path). When an object enters the protective net to block the light, the control circuit inside the light receiver will be activated. quickly output a signal. The signal sent by the safety light curtain device is received by the wearable muscle electric stimulator through wireless means (wireless communication module). The muscle electric stimulator will quickly and timely stimulate the relevant muscles of the operator to retract the hand according to the preset trajectory. Functional electrical stimulation technology uses a certain intensity of low-frequency pulse current to stimulate one or more groups of muscles through a pre-set program to induce muscle movement. The role of the pre-set program is to imitate the contraction sequence of the muscles during the hand retraction process, and control the surface electrodes attached to the relevant skeletal muscles to generate current to stimulate the muscles to contract, so as to achieve the desired body movements. The present invention utilizes the principle of muscle functional electrical stimulation technology, and the working process is: trigger signal -> electrical stimulation muscle contraction -> body movement to generate automatic passive protection action.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

1. The present invention does not require any conscious intervention of the operator, so the entire process is shortened to more than 100 milliseconds, thereby effectively avoiding accidents.

2. By adjusting the position and quantity of the surface electrode arrangement and the relevant parameters of the stimulation current, the human arm can be retracted according to a reasonable trajectory, so as to avoid hitting other objects and causing injury.

3. Compared with other safety devices, the present invention operates faster, has better protection effect, is easy to install and wear, and does not interfere with the operator's actions during use, allowing the operator to move freely within a certain range.

Description of drawings

Other characteristics, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by reading the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments made with reference to the following drawings:

Figure 1 is the application scene of the present invention based on the wearable muscle electrical stimulation automatic body protection system for dangerous positions;

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of the wearable muscle electric stimulator of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is the structural representation of safety light curtain device;

In the figure: 1 is the wearable muscle electric stimulator, 2 is the safety light curtain device, 3 is the device start trigger signal module, 4 is the surface electrode, 5 is the control box, 6 is the carrier, 7 is the light emitter, 8 is the light receiver, 9 is an infrared light beam, and 10 is a wireless communication module.

detailed description

The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention: this embodiment is implemented on the premise of the technical solution of the present invention, and provides detailed implementation methods and specific operation processes. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Example

This embodiment provides a dangerous position automatic body protection system based on wearable muscle electrical stimulation, including a safety light curtain device, a device start trigger signal module, and a wearable muscle electric stimulator; the safety light curtain device and the device start The trigger signal modules are respectively wirelessly connected with the wearable muscle electric stimulator; wherein:

The safety light curtain device is used to provide a signal a (trigger signal) for the human body to enter the dangerous area of the workstation;

The device start trigger signal module is used to provide a signal b (action signal) for device action;

After receiving the signal a and the signal b, the wearable muscle electric stimulator causes the muscles to contract by electric stimulation.

Further, the wearable muscle electric stimulator includes a carrier, a control box and surface electrodes; the control box and the surface electrodes are installed on the carrier; wherein:

The carrier is used to be worn on the user's arm and adapted to the arm;

The control box includes a wireless module and a controller, the wireless module receives the signal a and the signal b and transmits it to the controller, the controller processes the signal a and the signal b in real time, and controls the surface electrode to electrically stimulate the arm in real time based on the processing result The muscle completes the contraction action.

Further, the electrical stimulation uses low-frequency pulse current to stimulate one or more groups of muscles through a preset program to induce muscle movement; the preset program is: to imitate the contraction process of the muscles in the process of hand retraction, Then control the surface electrodes attached to the relevant skeletal muscles to generate electric current to stimulate the muscles to contract.

Further, the preset procedures are specifically:

- When faced with a simple work position, the biceps brachii is stimulated with electric pulses, and the muscle contraction makes the elbow joint bend quickly, driving the forearm and hand to quickly approach the body, forming a protective action away from the equipment;

- When faced with a complex work position, for multiple muscles, each muscle is electrically stimulated according to a fixed time sequence. The muscle contraction makes the joint bend quickly, driving the forearm and hand to quickly approach the body, forming a protective action away from the equipment.

Further, the electric pulse is a bidirectional square wave, and the parameter value of the electric pulse is set as:

Pulse width 300 microseconds;

Frequency 40Hz;

The amplitude varies from person to person, and its setting range is 20 mA to 60 mA.

Further, the wearable muscle electric stimulator also includes any one or more of the following components:

- an indicator light, which is used to display the working status of the wearable electrical muscle stimulator;

- buttons, the buttons are used for the user to control the display wearable electrical muscle stimulator.

Further, the carrier is worn on the upper limb of the user's arm.

Further, the safety light curtain device includes: a light projector, a light receiver and a wireless communication module; wherein, the light projector and the light receiver are installed in pairs, and the infrared beam emitted by the light projector is received by the light receiver to form an optical path; when there is an object When it appears on the light path, the light receiver triggers the signal a, and transmits it to the wearable muscle electric stimulator through the wireless communication module.

This embodiment will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

As shown in Figure 1, 1 is a wearable muscle electrical stimulator worn on the operator's arm, 2 is a safety light curtain device installed in a specific area of mechanical equipment, and 3 is a device start trigger signal module. When the light of the safety light curtain device is blocked by the human body, that is, the light emitted by the light emitter cannot be received by the light receiver, the safety light curtain device triggers a signal and sends it to the wearable muscle electric stimulator 2 wirelessly. When the device start switch is closed to make the machine move, the device start trigger signal module 3 will transmit the action signal to the wearable muscle electric stimulator wirelessly. The wireless module of the control box of the wearable muscle electric stimulator receives the signal of the safety light curtain device and the signal of the device starting at the same time. Only when the device is started and the safety light curtain device triggers the signal, the controller of the control box will send The surface electrodes on the muscle electric stimulator are energized according to the rules set by the program, stimulating the skeletal muscles of the operator's arm to complete the retraction action and avoid accidents.

Further, the specific area of the mechanical equipment is specifically: an area that may cause injury to the operator during manual loading and unloading.

As shown in Figure 2, 4 is the surface electrode arranged on the wearable muscle electric stimulator, 5 is the control box of the wearable muscle electric stimulator, and 6 is the carrier of the wearable muscle electric stimulator. The muscle electrical stimulator in this embodiment is made into a wearable form, and the carrier 6 is selected from a material (such as cotton cloth, etc.) that is close to human skin, so that it will not cause discomfort even if it is worn for a long time, and its size is adjustable to adapt to different conditions. Body type operator. The surface electrode 4 used in the electrode will not cause trauma to the wearer. At the same time, the number and arrangement position of the surface electrode 4 are adjustable to stimulate specific skeletal muscles to achieve the desired arm movement track. The electrode is connected to the control box 5 through wires. connected. The control box 5 includes a power supply, a controller, a wireless module, an indicator light, and function buttons. The control box can be small in size, light in weight, and soft, and can bring a comfortable wearing experience to the operator. The wireless module receives the trigger signal of the safety light curtain device and the action signal of the equipment starting. When both are satisfied at the same time, the controller will energize the surface electrodes according to the set program to stimulate the muscles to realize the hand retraction action and protect the operator. The set program The role of the sensor is to imitate the contraction sequence of the muscles during the hand retraction process, and the controller controls the surface electrodes attached to the relevant skeletal muscles to generate current to stimulate the muscles to contract, so as to achieve the desired body movements. The use of the wireless module allows the operator to move freely without interference from signal lines. The action signal of the mechanical device is wirelessly transmitted to the control box of the wearable muscle electric stimulator when the start switch of the mechanical device is turned on. The controller is programmable, expanding the scope of application of the wearable electrical muscle stimulator. The indicator light is used to indicate the running state of the wearable muscle electric stimulator.

For the application of this embodiment, if it is only necessary to control the movement (bending) of one degree of freedom of the elbow joint for a simple station, the surface electrodes only need to electrically stimulate one muscle (biceps brachii) to complete the protective action ; If for some complex work positions, the completion of the protective action may require the participation of multiple muscles, then the surface electrodes need to target multiple muscles and provide electrical stimulation to each muscle according to a fixed time sequence, so as to complete the desired movement trajectory control of the limbs .

As shown in Figure 3, 7 is the light projector of the safety light curtain, 8 is the light receiver of the safety light curtain, 9 is the modulated infrared beam, and 10 is the wireless communication module. The light emitter and the light receiver are installed in pairs. The infrared beam emitted by the light emitter 7 is received by the light receiver 8, and the signal will not be triggered. When an object appears on the light path, the light receiver will trigger the signal and transmit it wirelessly to the wearable muscle electrical stimulation. device.

In this embodiment, the wearable muscle electric stimulation technology is used to realize the automatic body protection system of the dangerous position. The safety light curtain device provides the signal that the body enters the dangerous area, and the equipment start-up trigger signal module provides the signal of the equipment action. The wearable muscle electric stimulator receives After the above signals are processed, the surface electrodes are controlled to stimulate the muscles to produce desired movements.

The signal of the safety light curtain device is transmitted to the wearable muscle electric stimulator wirelessly.

The device start trigger signal module can wirelessly transmit its action signal to the wearable muscle electric stimulator when the device is started.

The carrier of the wearable muscle electrical stimulator is made of materials that are close to human skin, and it will not cause discomfort when worn for a long time. At the same time, its size can be adjusted to suit users of different sizes. The wireless module in the control box receives the wireless signals of the safety light curtain and the device start trigger signal module; the controller processes these signals in real time, and controls the surface electrodes to stimulate muscles to complete specific actions based on the processing results in real time; the indicator lights are used to display wearable muscle electrical signals. The working state of the stimulator; the button allows the user to issue simple instructions, such as: switch on and off, switch modes, etc. The controller is programmable and runs corresponding programs according to different working conditions, thereby expanding the application range of this system. The surface electrodes are non-invasive, and their quantity and arrangement position can be adjusted, so that different upper limb movements can be realized and different working conditions can be adapted.

This embodiment combines functional electrical stimulation technology with a wearable system to realize automatic body protection at dangerous positions. It is suitable for large-scale dangerous machinery that requires manual loading and unloading. Convenience. The automatic body protection system for dangerous positions based on wearable muscle electrical stimulation provided in this embodiment has the characteristics of fast action, good protection effect, easy installation and wearing, and will not interfere with the user's movement or limit its range of activities during use.

Specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention.

Claims (6)

1. the automatic bodily protection system of a kind of dangerous station based on Wearable muscle electric stimulation, it is characterised in that including safety Light curtain device, equipment start trigger signal module and Wearable muscle electric stimulation device；The safe light curtain device and equipment are opened Dynamic trigger signal module respectively with Wearable muscle electric stimulation device wireless connection；Wherein：

The safe light curtain device is used to provide the trigger signal that human body enters station danger zone；

The equipment starts the actuating signal that trigger signal module is used to provide equipment startup；

Muscle is produced by electro photoluminescence shrink dynamic after the Wearable muscle electric stimulation device reception trigger signal and actuating signal Make；

The Wearable muscle electric stimulation device includes carrier, control box and surface electrode；The control box and surface electrode are equal It is installed on carrier；Wherein：

The carrier is used for the arm for being worn on user, and is adapted with arm；

The control box includes wireless module and controller, and the wireless module is sent to after receiving trigger signal and actuating signal Controller, the controller handles trigger signal and actuating signal in real time, and is led to based on the real-time control surface electrode of result Electricity and electro photoluminescence arm muscles completion contractive action；

The electro photoluminescence utilizes low frequency pulse current, by the one or more groups of muscle of program stimulation set in advance, induces muscle Motion；The program set in advance is：The contraction process of muscle during hand is retracted is imitated, and then controls to be attached to associated bone The surface electrode of flesh produces galvanism muscle and produces contraction.

2. the automatic bodily protection system of the dangerous station according to claim 1 based on Wearable muscle electric stimulation, it is special Levy and be, program set in advance is specially：

- when in face of simple station, electric pulse stimulation is carried out for the bicipital muscle of arm, contraction of muscle makes elbow joint Quick bending, band Dynamic forearm and hand are quick close to body, are formed away from the protection act of equipment；

- when in face of complicated station, for polylith muscle, electro photoluminescence, flesh are carried out to each piece of muscle respectively according to fixed time sequence Meat, which shrinks, makes joint Quick bending, drives forearm and hand quick close to body, is formed away from the protection act of equipment.

3. the automatic bodily protection system of the dangerous station according to claim 2 based on Wearable muscle electric stimulation, it is special Levy and be, the electric pulse is bi-directional square wave, the parameter value of electric pulse is set as：The microsecond of pulsewidth 300, frequency 40Hz, amplitude is set Scope is determined for 20 milliamperes~60 milliamperes.

4. the automatic bodily protection system of the dangerous station according to claim 1 based on Wearable muscle electric stimulation, it is special Levy and be, the Wearable muscle electric stimulation device also include be arranged on carrier it is following any one or appoint multiple parts：

- indicator lamp, the indicator lamp is used for the working condition for showing Wearable muscle electric stimulation device；

- button, the button is controlled for user to Wearable muscle electric stimulation device.

5. the automatic bodily protection system of the dangerous station according to claim 1 based on Wearable muscle electric stimulation, it is special Levy and be, the carrier is worn on the upper limbs of user's arm.

6. the automatic bodily protection system of the dangerous station according to claim 1 based on Wearable muscle electric stimulation, it is special Levy and be, the safe light curtain device includes：Light projector, light-receiving device and wireless communication module；Wherein, the light projector and by Light device mounted in pairs, the infrared beam of the light projector transmitting is received by light-receiving device, forms light path；Light path is appeared in when there is object When upper, light-receiving device is by controlling circuit to send trigger signal, and the trigger signal is sent to Wearable by wireless communication module Muscle electric stimulation device.